


The Beautiful Evening

by Lady_Iredell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-05-07 00:56:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14659857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Iredell/pseuds/Lady_Iredell
Summary: When Antlia Dubios leaves France to attend Hogwarts, she's determined to find and join the movement to protect magic from muggles. The only thing is, she isn't exactly a witch herself and trust is harder to gain than she thought. Nothing gets easier when she finds herself falling hard and fast for Severus Snape.





	1. Introduce Yourself

"Oh, come off it, James," Remus Lupin laughed as he and his three closest friends strolled down Diagon Alley, shopping for their supplies for the new year.

James spread his arms out as he turned on his heels, walking backwards to face the others. "She wrote to me all summer. I'm telling you lot-between Evans and being Head Boy, this is going to be a good year."

Sirius snorted. "It better be! This is our last year at Hogwarts."

"Exactly," James laughed with a dramatic flourish of his robe sleeves as he turned back around, only to collide with a petite blonde girl.

Everything the teen had been holding scattered across the ground as she stumbled backwards. "I'm so sorry!" She cried out in a thick, French accent, her alabaster toned cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

"That's alright. It was my fault, really," James assured her as he and the other three boys dropped to the ground, gathering her things for her.

Remus handed the girl a stack of papers as she regained her footing, briefly glancing over them to find a sixth year Hogwarts supply list. "You go to Hogwarts?" He asked, his confusion ringing out in his voice. She wasn't a familiar student to him, but there was no mistaking the Hogwarts emblem on her supply list.

"I'm transferring there," she answered quickly, hesitantly taking the papers. For a moment, her nervous, emerald eyes locked with his before she quickly turned back to James, who was gathering the rest of her things from Peter and Sirius.

"So you're from Beauxbatons?" Peter questioned, his nose twitching inquisitively.

Her blush seemed to spread as she took the rest of her thigns from James. "Uh, not exactly. Homeschooled."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Haven't heard of many homeschooled witches or transfer students. What brings you to Hogwarts?"

"Family," she responded shortly. She seemed fairly uncomfortable as she stood there in front of the four boys.

"Well, if you need help finding your way around the castle, come find us. I'm Remus Lupin, this is Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. We're all seventh year Gryffindors."

"I'm Head Boy as well," James announced, flashing her his charming smile.

"Antlia Dubios. I'll be joining the sixth years," she replied quietly, her gaze locking on Sirius for a moment before she hugged her things into her chest. "I should be on my way. Thank you, all of you, for helping me with my things." Before any of the four boys had a chance to get another word in, she was already rushing past them.

"I wonder what house she'll be in. Think she'll be sorted with the first years?" Peter piped up, glancing quickly between his friends.

Sirius turned his head sharply back to the group after watching her disappear around a corner, completely ignoring Peter. "Something is off about her."

Remus shrugged a little. "She was probably just uncomfortable from Head Boy over here knocking into her."

"Hey!" James shouted, trying to keep an offended look as Remus chuckled to himself.

"Come on. Let's go get the rest of our things before everything closes," he suggested as Sirius started to speak. "She's foreign. She's going to seem odd if you're not used to her home's culture, and last I checked, you weren't adept in all things French."

Sirius sighed a little, dropping the conversation as he followed his friends to finish off their last supply list.

The last two weeks of the break passed by in a flash. James, along with Sirius, Remus, and Peter were one of the last groups to board the train, thanks to James' new duties as Head Boy. His three best friends had lingered out on the platform with him, entertaining themselves instead of worring about where they'd sit.

"Guys, you should have gotten us a compartment," James groaned as they searched for a space big enough for all four of them.

"Hey, this one's empty!" Sirius called from a few doors down the hallway as he stepped through a doorway just to stop in his tracks. "Oh."

Remus walked up behind him but smiled when he saw the now familiar French girl sitting alone, already dawning black and green robes. "Antlia, mind if we join you? Everywhere else is full."

She looked up and met him with a warm smile, her composure seeming to have completely shifted from their initial meeting. "Not at all! Have a seat," she said kindly, moving her open carryon to her lap, making room as the boys slipped in and sat down.

"So you're a Slytherin."

Antlia looked straight at Sirius, caught off guard by his icy tone. "Yes," she hesitated with her answer, her voice slipping back into the comfort and familiarity of her accent, despite her efforts to blend in with the other students.

Peter gave his friend a nervous look, but Sirius didn't budge. "There's a few decent blokes in Slytherin. Sirius, you should introduce her to Regulus; he's a sixth year too, isn't he? He could help her find her classes."

"Regulus is Sirius' younger brother," Remus explained softly.

"That would actually be really nice," she remarked, trying to maintain a receptive smile, despite her discomfort.

James gave a light chuckle. "Ignore him. He can't figure you out so he's being a dick. Come on and I'll take you to Regulus," he offered with a friendly smile.

"Right now? You really don't have to-"

"Nonsense. I need to talk to the Head Girl anyway," he interrupted cheerfully, standing up. "Sometimes she's around that group. She's close to two of them at least."

Remus rolled his eyes at James, still smiling, as Antlia zipped up her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "Have fun, Antlia, and try to relax. You'll find your place in no time."

Her shoulders relaxed a little and she actually met Remus' gaze. "Thank you."

"Come on," James grinned, swiftly leaving the room, Antlia forced to quickly fall into step behind him without time to wait for a reply from Remus.

"Is the Head Girl a Slytherin as well?" She asked curiously, glancing briefly into as many of the bustling compartments as she could as they rushed by.

James shook his head, searching for a specific group. "Evans is in Gryffindor, but she has a few Slytherin friends she occasionally hangs out with."

"Oh," she responded softly, settling with focusing her gaze ahead of them both.

"Ah! Here we go!" He announced before swinging open a door. "Regulus, Severus, Narcissa, Lucius, and Lily. L-Evans? Can we talk?" He pointed to each person in a flash as he named them before focusing on Lily Evans, the red haired, green eyed girl.

Lily glanced up from her conversation with a boy with dark eyes and long, black hair only to make him scowl at James. "Of course," she answered calmly, rising up.

James held the door open for her as they both slipped out, ignoring the irritated looks form the boy he had distracted Lily from.

"Typical Potter," scoffed the boy with platinum blonde hair as he leaned back into his seat, resting his arm around the thin, almost frail looking blonde girl beside him.

Antlia was left standing there awkwardly, feeling completely confused. James had gone way to fast for her to remember which one of the teens was Regulus, much less the rest of the group's names.

The blonde girl patted the empty space beside her, inviting Antlia to sit. "You must be the transfer student Lily was talking about. I'm Narcissa Black," she introduced herself curtly before putting a hand on the leg of the boy on her other side. "This is Lucius Malfoy and that's Regulus Black," she paused to motion to one of the two black haired boys sitting in front of her, "And Severus Snape." She ended by pointing at the longer black haired boy who still looked rather agitated.

Antlia glanced between Narcissa and Regulus, ignoring the other two boys for a moment. "You're both Sirius' siblings?"

Regulus snorted a little as Narcissa gave an unamused laugh. "No. Regulus is Sirius' brother, but I'm their first cousin."

"There's a few other Blacks running around the school," Lucius said, watching Narcissa instead of directly acknowledging Antlia.

"My sisters," Narcissa sighed.

Antlia raised an eyebrow, seeming attentive but unsure of what to say.

"Bellatrix is a seventh year, I'm a sixth year, and Andromeda is a fifth year. They're both Slytherins as well; I'll introduce you when we run into them." Narcissa paused, staring her down. "Well? Introduce yourself."

A subtle blush rose up to her ears. "Antlia Dubios. Born and raised in the outskirts of Perouges, France-"

"So what brings you to Hogwarts of all schools? Beauxbatons is a little closer to home, isn't it?" She seemed to almost lean forward towards her, the question feeling more like an accusation than harmless curiosity.

Antlia sat there stiffly, contemplating on justifying herself. "My mother passed away and I have family in London."

Narcissa studied her for a moment before leaning back against Lucius. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone softening ever so slightly.

Regulus frowned as he met Antlia's gaze. "I'm sorry unfortunate circumstances brought you here, but I'm glad you've joined us."

"Thank you, Regulus. I appreciate it," she returned with a weak smile.

"Dear, you're a Slytherin now. You belong here and we, as your housemates, will help you settle in." He was very blatantly trying to be kind and warm towards her, but despite obvious efforts, he still looked and sounded fairly stiff.

"Cissy!" Sang a pretty, dark haired teen as she burst into the room, the sudden commotion drawing attention away from a grateful Regulus. "Have you seen what Amycus has done to himself? There's-" she stopped in her tracks as her eyes locked on Antlia. "I don't know you."

Despite the stark differences in hair color, Antlia immediately noticed the girl's resemblance to Narcissa. "I'm Antlia, I transferred from-"

"I don't care. What the bloody hell do you think you're doing here?" She snarled at her, the air in the room tensing immediately.

Severus looked up from the potion book he had pulled out. "Narcissa," he drawled out her name, agitation building up in his voice. "Control your sister."

"Bite me," Bellatrix snapped back at him before turning right back to Antlia.

"Seriously, Bella. Calm down," Narcissa sighed wearily.

"What? You don't find it odd that Miss Veela over here shows up just as things start?"

Narcissa's gaze almost immediately became stern. "You need to hush."

"Look at her," Bellatrix spat with a glare at Antlia, completely ignoring her younger sister as she tensed up. "She's probably just here to steal Tom because she knows-"

"Bellatrix."

She looked at Regulus, hushing for moment. "For Merlins' sake, stop." His voice held an air of authority to it, almost seeming to have a threatening tone lingering in between his words. "Sit and hush or go bother Yaxley."

Bellatrix huffed and shot a glare at Antlia. "I don't trust you, Veela," she growled before stalking out, leaving the door dangling wide open behind her.

Regulus stood up and closed the door firmly. "Sorry about Bella."

Antlia seemed confused as she sat there. "Veela?"

"They're a human hybrid creature-" Severus started, his gaze directed back down to his book once more.

"I know what veela are. I just don't understand why she said that."

Narcissa sighed. "You're blonde, conventionally attractive, and from France. She thinks you're here to seduce someone she adores. Logical? No, but that's sometimes just how she is."

Antlia frowned. "I'm not a veela and stealing her boyfriend most certainly wasn't my goal for coming to Hogwarts."

"I know dear. Again, sometimes my sister's obsessions blind her to logic."

Regulus seemed to almost visibly relax again at Narcissa's words. "Take it as a compliment. You're pretty enough that she finds you threatening."

Antlia gave a small shrug. "I don't want to already be starting off on the wrong foot."

"It's Bellatrix. She'll calm down eventually, and even if she doesn't, it's not worth worrying over," he assured her.

She gave a small nod and tried to relax. The year already felt like it was going to be a long one, but nevertheless, she couldn't help but to feel a twinge of excitement. This was her first year not being homeschooled. Her first year being out, on her own, surrounded by other witches and wizards, and she ready for it. She was ready to leave behind the life of hiding amongst muggles and get to embrace what she was. She only wished her mother was still in France, waiting eagerly for her first letter to make it's way home.


	2. Welcome Home

When they arrived at Hogwarts, Antlia felt stunned. In all her dreams and fantasies, she had never once pictured Hogwarts to be the majestic castle that stood before her. Even in the dark of the night, she was able to admire its beauty and couldn't stop staring at the sparkling reflection in the lake.

They rode in thestral drawn carriages up to the school where things on the inside was just as breathtaking as they had been on the outside. Along all the halls hung magnificent, larger than life paintings, all alive and moving, some even following them from frame to frame down the hall. She couldn't help but to stare in awe as they walked.

"You've never seen a moving picture before? Are you sure you're a witch?" Lucius scoffed at her, almost immediately receiving a stern, disapproving look from Narcissa.

Antlia was too mesmerized to let Lucius and his condescending tone get to her. "I lived in a muggle town with my mother. We didn't venture out into the wizarding world much."

Lucius looked like he had something else to say, but he changed his mind as Narcissa let go of him and grabbed onto Antlia's wrist.

"Oh, you're just like a little first year," she cooed in a softer tone. "Come on, just wait until you see the Great Hall."

Antlia just smiled, but when Narcissa pulled her into the Great Hall, all she could do was blink in shock. The ceiling was enchanged to replicate the stary night sky that clear and crisp evening. Many silvery figures floated about the room as students in house colors sat at their appropriate tables. The entire room was abuzz with the excitement as friends reunited under candles floating just below the ceiling. Just a head of her on a raised platform, several professors took their seats behing a long table facing out towards the students.

"This is amazing," she whispered in wonder as she took a seat at the Slytherin table.

Remus couldn't help but to laugh. "You make it all seem so exciting."

"And you weren't excited the first time you came to Hogwarts?" Severus asked blandly.

"No. Hogwarts is just another place in the wizarding world. I know living around other wizards isn't a familiar concept to you, Severus, but please do try to keep up." Lucius sneeared back at him, not even giving Regulus a chance to respond.

Antlia didn't pay the three boys any attention. Instead, she was people watching. She saw James and his friends take their seats at the Gryffindor table, laughing and making a commotion with one another. Peter Pettigrew was the quietest of the group from what she had noted so far. He was definitely the most awkward person out of the four. He seemed unsure of himself, as if he was really thinking about everything he did or said while he was around his friends. There was almost even a certain air of admiration about him for the other boys.

Sirius was well, interesting to say the least. He had been hostile around her, but now that he was in his element, his composure was that of a completely different individual. He seemed just as arrogant as James, if not more so, and most certainly carried a more playful, maybe even mischievous attitude. Watching him interact with his friends, he was definitely the most daring and rambunctious.

Then there was Remus. He was definitely the most reserved and had been the kindest Gryffindor to her so far. From what Antlia could tell, he was the most level headed out of the boys and seemed to be the logical one that kept his friends in check. There was something off about him though. His eyes seemed weary, almost sad. Even those kind smiles he had flashed her seemed tired. Something was definitely off about him and concerning her even more, his scent was, well, quite frankly it was odd. Something about it caused her to think about moments being back at home in France with her mother, but she couldn't really name a specific memory no matter how hard she tried.

Last, there was James Potter. He was unique in his own rite and seemed to be the leader of the group, acting as the final touch that blended together all their personalities. He was a pompous fellow to say the least, but he seemed able to reign it in for the most part to be able to function like a fairly decent person. One thing was apparent with him though-he had a very large thing for Lily Evans.

Lily Evans sat further on down the Gryffindor table, not even bating an eye at Potter as he kept glancing her way. She wasn't purposefully ignoring the boy, she was just enwrapped in her own conversations. Several different faces kept her attention, even some from other houses, but it made no difference to the young witch. She simply greeted them with that warm smile of hers and continued on the conversation. It made complete sense why Potter was so entranced by her-she radiated happiness and seemed to easily lift spirits around her.

James wasn't the only one who seemed to stare at Lily a lot. Narcissa and Severus both had a habit of briefly checking on the red headed girl from the Slytherin table. Narcissa didn't stay distracted for too long though. She'd find herself focusing on her Gryffindor friend but after seeing her familiar smile as she interacted with her housemates, the young blonde would return her attention back to those in her immediate surroundings. It was a different story for Severus however. More often than not, Antlia found him watching Lily. He was tense, carrying an almost protective air about him, but he didn't move from his seat at the table. And rightly so, for that matter. Lily was enjoying herself; she clearly didn't need Severus' intervention, and even if he wasn't fully acknowledging it, he knew that much was true.

When the sorting began, Narcissa and her friends only half paid attention, mainly just listening for which first years were being placed into Slytherin. After each of the new students had found their permanent houses, Dumbledore, the Headmaster, stood and gave a lighthearted welcoming speech. The Slytherins around Antlia seemed to pay him no real mind, only showing interest in the feast when food suddenly filled the golden plates before them.

Antlia had the time of her life. It had been several months since she had carefree options of what to eat. She paced herself though, trying to sample everything that caught her eye without seeming ravenous. Luckily for her, the first years seemed just as eager as she did to take advantage of the seemingly endless meal before them, so she didn't really have to waste too much effort on keeping up appearances.

After dinner, she followed Narcissa, Regulus, Severus, and Lucius into the dungeons where their common room and dorms were hidden away. It was cold and murky as they walked through the corridors, but once they entered the Slytherin common room, Antlia felt like she had found herself in an entirely new world. The room itself was clearly still a dungeon style space, but it was warm and inviting with it's decorations and renovated architecture. Flickering green lamps hung from the low ceiling on chains, lighting up most of the space. Half the room was lined with windows that shown into the lake Antlia had seen by the school, adding to the mystical feel of the room. Her favorite part though, was the fireplace. It was already lit and crackling to combat the cold of the deep lake waters and the chilling air of the dungeon, but it made the room feel entrancing and welcoming. Above the glow of the flames was an elaborate mantel, topped with an emblem of a silver serpent, the mascot for the Slytherin house.

"Welcome home," Regulus smiled as he plopped down on one of the leather sofas.

Antlia couldn't help but to smile as they all took their seats. She got stuck sitting next to Severus, but he paid her no mind as he delved into his book once more. Narcissa sat cuddled up to Lucius, but he was staring down Regulus, clearly distracted from the girl beneath his arm.

A few other students from the Slytherin table at dinner wondered into the common room, but many quickly retreated to their dorms. Antlia was able to introduce herself to a few of them though. Corban Yaxley was one of the first few that stopped and acknowledged her. He introduced himself politely, making small talk about the feast and sorting ceremony before a set of twins named Alecto and Amycus Carrow stole him away. Alecto had, however, given her a friendly wink before she and her brother ran off with Yaxley.

"There's still a few other important Slytherins you need to meet," Narcissa sighed as she stood up and stretched. "I think its a decent time to show you your dorm though, what do you think?"

Antlia looked up to her and gave her a small smile. "Sounds perfect." Truth be told, she was tired. All the excitement of the day had left her a little drained, and the moment she began to think about resting, she remembered Dumbledore had informed her when he privately sorted her that Hogwarts classes started prompltly the next day after students arrived. The more she dwelt on the idea of her first day of actual classes, the more she realized it was a good idea to rest up.

Narcissa's stiff smile returned before she disappeared down a hallway, trusting the French girl to keep up. It didn't take but a moment though, before she stopped them both in front of an ordinary door, just like the others that lined the corridor. "Lucky you," she grinned as they opened the door to a dorm suited for just a single member, Antlia's things already resting at the foot of the bed. "You're a single room as well."

"You don't share either?"

Narcissa gave a small nod as she watched Antlia slowly walk in. "A few Slytherins have their own spaces. Its not quite as common in the other houses though."

"Oh?" She returned curiously.

The petite blonde signed. "Look dear, I know everything is new and you have a lot of questions, and believe me, I don't mind guiding you, but it's late. I need my rest too."

Antlia could feel her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to keep you."

That odd smile of hers returned once more. "Get some rest, Antlia. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

* * *

 

 

_"Daddy!" Six year old Antlia Dubios cried with delight as a young man with dark hair apparated into the kitchen where the child had formerly been twirling on the tile._

_"My little princess," the man returned warmly as he scooped her up into his arms. "Where's your mother?"_

_Young Antlia just buried her face against the man's neck. As if on cue, a woman with sharp dark eyes and platinum blonde hair strolled into the room, carrying a handwoven basket full of empty viles and assorted containers. Her eyes fell immediately on the man holding her daughter and she stiffened before quickly setting the basket down on a counter top._

_"Orin, what at you doing here?" There wasn't hostility in her voice, but her posture alone told the man she wasn't by any means glad to see him._

_Orion chuckled lightly as he stroked the child's hair. "I came to visit my daughter. You haven't invited me in a bit and I was in France for the day, so I figured I'd drop by."_

_"You've never just been in France. Don't lie to me."_

_He ignored the woman for a moment as he pulled Antlia back from him, smiling warmly down at the child. "Doll, how about we go out for treats?"_

_The child's face lit up but her mother took a step closer and pulled her out of her father's arms, cradling her close to her chest. "This isn't our arrangement, Orion."_

_"Darcy," the man tsked softly. "Things change and sometimes its for the best. Just look at yourself. You're struggling to manage your daughter and your work on top of your illness. I think I should help out a little-"_

_"No." Darcy's reply came short and sharp._

_"Mommy's sick?"_

_"Antlia is well taken care of. I don't need your help or your money."_

_"She's my child too, Darcy. And I will not have her grow up in muggle hands when you're gone. Her place is in the wizarding world, and she should be at Hogwarts when she is of age! Or even Beauxbatons! Merlin, just not around those filthy muggles."_

_Darcy's face turned bright red as she pressed the side of her daughter's face against her chest, trying to cover both her ears. "Muggles are people. They deserve the help Antlia and I give them. I will not allow you to brainwash my child with your superiority nonsense."_

_Orion stood still for a moment, his gaze still focused on his child before he looked to her mother. "There are changes coming, but I don't have to tell you that. I want my daughter on the right side of things though. My daughter will be taken care of, and whether or not you like it, Antlia is my child. She has a legacy to live up to and she will be apart of it. You can't keep her from it."_

_"You have two sons-go force it on them. Go home, Orion. You aren't welcome here."_

_He moved closer to give his daughter a goodbye, but Darcy just glared at him. "You know as well as I do that your time is limited. Don't make her suffer alone when you're gone. She has family in London. She deserve to know them." With that, he disappeared with a loud click._

_Antlia had tears in her eyes as her mother released her grip and looked down to her. "Mommy's leaving?"_

_"No dear, not soon. Mommy is just sick."_

_"But you're a healer! You fix everyone else! Fix yourself!"_

_Darcy gave a weary laugh as she carried her into the living room. There, she sat down in a rocking chair and rested Antlia in her lap. For a moment, she rocked her as a small fire started burning in the confines of the hearth. "Baby girl, I love you."_

_"But why won't you fix it, Mommy?"_

_She gave her daughter a sad smile. "I'm trying, hun. Your momma's never going to stop trying."_

_Antlia immediately hugged onto her chest, quiet as they rocked. "Mommy?" She asked softly after a few moments of listening to the fire crackle. "What's a muggle?"_

_"They're just like you and I," she said with a soft smile as she lightly tapped her daughter's nose. "Except they don't have magic."_

_"That's sad," Antlia frowned._

_She gave a small nod. "But most of them don't even know about magic, or don't believe in it, so they aren't sad. They just live and are happy without magic."_

_"And Daddy doesn't like them?"_

_Darcy gently shook her head. "He thinks I shouldn't let them know about magic, even when they are sick and we can heal them."_

_Antlia frowned, looking down at her hands. "But I like helping. No one should be sick. Especially not you, Mommy."_

_Darcy kissed her forehead. "I agree with you, doll."_

_"Maybe one day someone will heal you, just like you heal them!" She exclaimed with a sudden burst of hopefulness._

_"Maybe, but even if they don't, I want you to help people, even muggles, when I can't." Darcy paused, lifting her daughter's chin to look her in the eye. "You're special, my little flower. Never forget that."_


	3. Think She's A Threat?

When Antlia awoke from her dream, she felt like sobbing. Reliving memories of her mother was still painful. It had been months since she had died, but her mother had been her best friend. After that day in her childhood, Antlia hadn't seen anymore of her father either. She knew he had no idea her mother was no longer alive, but she was nervous to reach out to him. He had a wife and kids-there was no telling if they knew about his affair, let alone her. But that was half the reason why she decided to come to Hogwarts. She wanted to test the waters, meet her half siblings and try and figure out what they knew before just showing up out of the blue.

Antlia sighed as she sat up, running a hand through the roots of her hair. It was at least midnight, but thanks to her dream, she felt wide awake. She knew she needed sleep, but thinking about her mother made her restless, almost anxious. Without a word, she pushed herself out of bed and slipped on her favorite dressing gown. She headed out of her room and down the corridor toward the common room so she could sit by the fire and relax, but stopped in her tracks when she heard voices.

"Well, what do you think, Lucius? Do we have anything to worry about?" Antlia almost immediately recognized the sound of Regulus' voice.

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually worried about her," same a scoffing reply from Corban Yaxley.

"I was speaking to Lucius, thank you."

The students fell silent for a moment, leaving only the gentle sounds of water swishing and a freshly started fire burning to fill the air. Antlia assumed Regulus and Corban were glaring each other down for their remarks.

Lucius finally broke the quiet. "I don't know. I definitely think Tom needs to be made aware of her though. Hogwarts doesn't see many transfer students."

There was that name again-Tom. She assumed it to be the same Tom Bellatrix had spouted off about, but-Antlia went ridged as it clicked in her head; They were talking about her. She was the only transfer student that year. Dumbledore had made that fact very clear during her private sorting outside of the school. What correlation did she and Tom have though? Why were they discussing telling this person about her arrival to Hogwarts?

"Why?" An unfamiliar voice to Antlia questioned. "She's from France. Odds are, she's like most of those gits are over there and supports muggle rights. I doubt she knows a thing about the movement or else she wouldn't have come to Hogwarts. And have you seen her? She's no threat. Tom doesn't need bothered with her."

Things were silent again for a moment, as if they were all thinking. Antlia, however, didn't know what to think. She didn't know if she should round the corner to the common room and confront them, or if she should stay where she was, stay hidden, and try to figure out some of the context for their conversation.

"She's a Slytherin. Don't underestimate her," Narcissa's voice rang out clearly, breaking the silence.

"So you think she's a threat?" Lucius inquired.

It was quiet again before Narcissa answered. "All I'm saying is she was sorted into Slytherin for a reason. She could be a danger if she doesn't share our values, but if she does, she could be an asset. The-" She cut herself short. "Tom needs to know about her if she starts proving herself to be either of the two."

"I'd agree with that. You're sorted into Slytherin if you have a very specific set of characteristics. If she agrees with us, great. Tom needs to know his support is growing. If not, then she needs dealt with," Corban mused.

There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the group as Antlia tensed up. Dealt with? What the hell were they doing that they needed to "deal with" her if they saw her as a threat? And a threat to what, exactly? She wanted to storm into the common room and demand answers from them, but her gut told her to stay put.

"Narcissa, she seems to rather like you," Severus piped up suddenly, seeming slightly amused by the thought. "How about you figure her out? Find out who her family is in London. If its a prominent name, that alone would give us some answers, or at least enough information that Tom can decide for himself."

"But we still haven't decided if Tom needs to be told about her now."

The room fell silent again as the group seemed to all simultaneously consider the situation. "I say we wait. Don't cause him any worry until we have a little more idea of what to expect from her."

They all mumbled in agreement once more, but before Antlia could process their decision and what it meant for her, Severus rounded the corner and immediately laid eyes on her standing there in the shadows of the hallway.


	4. Part Of The Movement

Severus immediately stopped when he saw her and watched Antlia go ridged, too afraid to move. For a moment, they both just stood there, staring each other down. She had considered making a run for it, but after thinking about it, it felt pointless. Severus had very clearly caught her eavesdropping-she couldn't deny that no matter how hard she tried. If she ran towards the common room, the whole group would know she had been there. If she ran and locked herself in her dorm, all Severus had to do was tell the others and wait her out. Either way, the situation didn't seem to have an option with a positive outcome.

Breaking the stand off, Severus put a finger to his lips, telling her to stay silent before mouthing "follow me". She was caught by surprise, but she did as she was told and silently followed the boy into his dorm room. Like her own room, Severus' dorm was a single. He already had his trunk unpacked and personal belongings were scattered across the room.

"Well?" He questioned as he sat in an armchair.

"Well fucking what?" Antlia snapped back. She knew she should be more cautious. She knew she should be carefully playing her cards in order to figure out the situation and maintain an upper hand, but a number of emotions were surging through her. She was frightened. Was he going to tell the others she had been listening in on their conversation? Or was he going to "deal with her" right then and there? Her fear was quickly turning into anger though. She knew it was largely due to waking up from a memory of her mother, which left her in no mood to deal with any games her classmates had decided to play.

"You were the one eavesdropping. Don't you have some sort of excuse?"

She could feel her ears getting hot beneath her hair. "Really? You have the audacity to lecture me for eavesdropping when you lot were discussing me?"

"This is bigger than just you, Dubios. And if we had something we had wanted to tell you, I know no one in that room has a problem saying it to your face," Severus replied rather calmly.

"Oh fuck off," She spat.

"Would you just calm down?" He sighed, watching her furiously tap her foot as she stood in front of him.

"Yeah, and how exactly are you planning on dealing with me since I heard your conversation?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic. I just want to talk."

"I'm not being dramatic! That's what your friend said; they're not my words."

"That's just Corban; you can't pay him any mind," he sighed calmly.

Antlia huffed, but she had already begun allowing herself to wind down. She watched carefully as Severus stood up, retrieved a bottled water from his suitcase, and poured it into the two clear cups he had sitting on his nightstand. Silently, he gave one of the glasses to Antlia before taking his seat again.

"Drink," he encouraged her before sipping at his own glass.

She just sat down on the ground, letting her glass sit on the floor beside her. "So if you're not going to deal with me, what are we doing here?"

"Talking."

She frowned. "That's not much of an answer," her reply came curtly, trying to stay levelheaded and fight her frustration as it bubbled up close to the surface once more.

"We're all curious about you, Antlia. We want to know why you really decided to come to Hogwarts."

"I told you guys earlier-my mother died and I have family in London."

"So your family enrolled you?"

"No."

His lips pulled together in a thin line as his dark eyes stared her down. "Then that's not much of an answer, is it?"

Antlia scowled at him, not enjoying her own words being tossed back at her. "Why does it matter why I decided to come to Hogwarts?"

He gave a small shrug, his gaze not wavering. "Antlia, I know we're all probably on the wrong foot now-"

"Oh, most definitely."

He sighed at her intrusion. "But, I think we all can help each other."

"And I'm going to have to disagree," she returned tartly, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass after she pulled it into her lap.

"You came to Hogwarts for a specific reason. It's been written all over your face so don't even try to deny it," he whispered, watching her closely. "I'm just not entirely convinced I'm right about why."

She raised an eyebrow, trying to act only slightly interested in what he had to say. "And just why do you think I'm here?"

"I think you're looking for something, and answers to go along with it. My current guess is that you heard a few rumors and that if you looked into the right spot, you could find your answers here. But, and correct me if I'm wrong, you didn't really pay any mind to those rumors until you lost your mother." His facial expression hadn't changed, but she could practically hear his smirk from the smug tone as it ever so slightly dripped into his words.

"That's an awful lot to assume after just meeting me."

"But am I wrong?"

She sat there quiet, for a few moments as she stared down the water. At this point, what was the harm in being honest? She didn't have to confess ever little detail of her motivation, hell, she didn't have to even tell him anything about her father and his family in London. She only really had to share the basics. And maybe he was right. Maybe by some small chance they really could help each other. She knew it was a dangerous game to tell anyone much of anything this early on, but her intuition said Severus could easily figure things out with a little digging. At least if she was the one to tell him some of the information, she'd be aware of how much he knew and could possibly stop him from looking for more.

"No, you're right," she settled with, finally looking back up at him.

"Muggles in France took her from you, didn't they?"

Antlia was silent for a moment, her composure immediately shifting after hearing Severus' question. Thinking about it was one thing, but to hear someone else say it, it made her chest feel tight again. She felt like someone had reopened a wound on her body as the memories became fresh again. It made it feel more real, and it made her have to acknowledge the fact that her mother really was gone when someone else said it. If no one else knew, she could pretend it was just a bad nightmare and she was just like all the other students, waiting to go home to their families. But Severus knowing the truth just affirmed it. Her mother had been murdered when she should have died of natural causes, or at least several years later from the illness that plagued her. But she didn't get that. Instead, her life was stolen from her all because a group of muggles learned she was a healer with magic and potions instead of one of their muggle doctors. It didn't matter that she was helping muggles, that she was curing them of their once fatal ailments. All that mattered was she was different because of her magic, and that, to them, was reason enough to take her life.

"Yes," she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I did."

Severus left his chair and knelt down in front of her. "And they won't if we can help it."

She stared up at him for a moment, tears starting to appear in her eyes. "You're part of the movement, aren't you guys?"

"A part of it, yes."

"I didn't expect to actually find the movement in Hogwarts. I just expected to find a sliver of information and maybe be pointed in the right direction," she admitted softly, trying to get her mind away from memories of her mother.

He gave a small nod. "We're just a small piece of it. Several of our parents are a part of it, and a large number of people I don't know. Its growing every day as more and more people wise up. Of course, there are still a lot of people that have no idea what muggles are really like and don't agree with us, but sadly, that's the way things tend to work. It's because of those people that we have to stay quiet and cautious, which is why we were talking about you instead of personally asking you where you stand on the matter."

"I understand that now," she said quietly. "This isn't a small matter and I'm glad you guys are being so cautious."

Severus nodded in agreement before pushing himself back up to his feet and holding a hand out to her. "They're probably still talking out there if you want to go saying something to them."

"That's alright. I should try to go back to sleep."

"Of course," he agreed as he helped her stand up and lead her to the door. "Goodnight, Antlia."

"Goodnight Severus."


	5. Porlocks

Antlia spent the following morning with Narcissa who seemed to be in an extremely pleasant mood. She led her to the Great Hall for breakfast where they chatted over their schedules, which seemed to be close to the same, delighting Narcissa further. Antlia only half paid attention though, twirling a strand of her long, wavy blonde hair as she thought about the night before.

Her conversation with Severus had left her hopeful-she felt like she had found her purpose once more and she couldn't wait to actually be a part of the movement. Her gut told her it wasn't a good idea to talk about any of it with Narcissa or anyone else but Severus. She was lucky that he was so quick to believe and trust her, but she couldn't see everyone else being like him. Even if Narcissa was, she wasn't willing to take that chance; she had come a long way to find the movement and the last thing she wanted was to already ruin her chance of getting to be a part of it.

"So we've both got Herbology first," she heard Narcissa say as she left her thoughts for a moment. "Then it looks like we've got Care of Magical Creatures right before lunch. After that you've got History of Magic and then you'll meet me again for Potions. It looks like a decent day."

Antlia smiled a little and nodded. "Doesn't sound too bad. Herbology should be an easy start."

"You studied it a lot back in France?"

"I guess you could say that," she laughed lightly. "My mother was a healer and she always had me help her. She really wanted me to take over her trade."

Narcissa looked curious. "Really? That's not easy work from what I've heard."

"Yeah, but she devoted her life to it. She had been sick for a long time; I think part of her thought she'd be able to find a cure one day if she kept healing others."

Narcissa almost immediately lost her smile. "Antlia, I'm so sorry. I-"

"Don't be. She didn't find a cure but that's not what killed her." She stopped and took in a deep breath. "Let's not talk about that right now though. Today is going to be a good day."

"You're right," Narcissa returned, reaching a hand up and rubbing her back comfortingly. "But I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about it, or just need some company to help distract you."

Antlia gave her a weak smile, wondering if she was being genuine or if this was just part of her attempt to open her up and eventually coax her into talking about who her father was. "Thank you, Narcissa."

She stood up and offered her hand out to the French girl, a small smile returning. "Come on, let's head on to Herbology. Professor Beery can't stand it when students are late."

Antlia took her hand and stood up before following her out of the castle and to the greenhouse. Sure enough, half the class was already there by the time the two girls arrived and Professor Beery was pacing around impatiently, waiting on more of his students to arrive. Five minutes before the scheduled start time, he began the class. He was a very uptight teacher with a no nonsense policy Antlia learned rather quickly. He didn't really pay her any mind, seeming to not even notice he had a new student in his class. In fact, there were hardly any students that he directly acknowledged. Instead, he spent his class time lecturing and having his students simply take notes.

At the end of class, Narcissa rushed her out, much to Antlia's relief. They laughed together and discussed the class and the other students in it as they made their way to the edge of school grounds.

"Hope you enjoy being outside," Narcissa said cheerfully. "Care of Magical Creatures is always outside. If the weather is too dangerous, class is just cancelled. But that rarely ever happens."

Antlia chuckled a little herself. "I think I'll be alright."

When they reached the outskirts of the trees, they found a very different looking professor waiting with about three other students. He was missing an arm, a full leg, and half of his remaining leg. Antlia was caught completely off guard as Narcissa started to quietly laugh.

"Professor Kettleburn has always been like this. He has a bit of a knack for messing with the more dangerous creatures. But don't worry; I've never really seen a student get hurt in his class."

Antlia nodded but wasn't completely reassured.

Care of Magical Creatures took a bit longer to start. Professor Kettleburn began his lesson talking about porlocks. According to him, porlocks were fairly small creatures that walked on two cloven hooves. He went on to describe them as being two feet tall on average when they were fully grown. Kettleburn explained that they typically live in grass but really don't trust humans, tending to hide whenever they come near.

A student's hand shot in the air. "So this is a class were we don't actually have to interact with the creatures today?"

Kettleburn smirked. "Oh no, you just have to work on gaining their trust first."

The student scowled but Antlia stared curiously at the tall grass a little ways a head of them. It didn't take Narcissa long to figure it out either.

"They're over there, aren't they?" She whispered, still staring curiously at the grass.

"That's what I'm guessing," Antlia returned.

"Alright class, I need a volunteer to try and get a porlock to get close to you."

No one answered him, all unsure of what to expect from the porlocks.

"Alright, Miss Dubious? You're new," the professor said, turning to face her with a smile. "Why don't you go ahead and show up what you know."

Antlia blushed bright red. "I'm not sure I'm the best choice, Professor," she whimpered.

"Nonsense! Go ahead and see if you can find one and coax it out for us."

She bit her lip, but she knew there was no point in arguing with him. Taking in a deep breath, she began walking towards the large patch of tall grass, feeling all of her classmates' eyes on her. Just breathe, Antlia. Don't do anything a normal person wouldn't. You're just a normal witch. Normal witches aren't obsessed with creatures and try to communicate with them. Be normal, Antlia. She thought to herself as she walked.

Antlia stopped and stared into the grass. She couldn't see any movement, but she was sure they were there. Kettleburn had to have gathered a few porlocks for the lesson, and she was guessing he had enclosed the area with an enchantment to keep them from getting too far away. After a moment of thinking, Antlia took a step forward and watched as a few heads covered in rough, shaggy hair began scattering through the grass, trying to find places to hide. One of the porlocks closest to her suddenly went still, lifting up its large nose to sniff the air as it pulled its arms in close to its chest.

"Oh?" Kettleburn sounded excitedly from behind her to the rest of the class. "What do we have here?"

Antlia ignored him and knelt down to the ground as the creature slowly began moving towards her. The rest of the herd were standing still, heads peaking above the grass, watching her and their curious member. The teen outstretched a hand to the porlock, but the creature ignored it, instead stretching up to nuzzle her neck. In one swift, unexpected motion, it used its nose to push away the strands of hair falling over her neck, revealing a pigment-less birthmark on her skin that resembled the head of a rose. Antlia immediately went ridged, starting to back away, but the porlock wrapped its stubby fingers around her arm, holding her in place as it sniffed the mark. A few of the other porlocks came bounding over as Kettleburn started laughing.

"Alright, everyone! Miss Dubios has done such a fantastic job of warming them up, so I'd like to see everyone else find a porlock and gain its trust!"

Much more relaxed than they all had been before, the class as a whole began walking towards the patch of grass, almost immediately sending the porlocks scurrying back off to hide, including the one who had previously latched onto Antlia. None of the other students came close to touching one of the creatures, except for Narcissa when one of them decided it wanted to check out Antlia again before getting scared of Narcissa and running back off.

Kettleburn laughed, not at all seeming surprised by the porlocks' reactions to the class. "Oh well, good try, good try! We'll try again next time we meet. Until then, I'd like you all to write an essay covering the three different classifications of creatures, giving me definitions and at least three different examples for each category. Then explain where porlocks are classified, why they are classified as they are, and give me the history of how their classification has changed and the reasoning why. Class dismissed!" He exclaimed and let them head to lunch.


	6. Will You Tell Me A Story?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, so, this chapter starts focusing on my OC and a creature I've created. There's a bit of background information on the creature that Antlia is and it helps explain exactly why she's so different which will help with future plot. Anyhow, I'd love to hear from you guys! I welcome constructive criticism and I'm curious as to if you're enjoying the story so far!

Narcissa walked with Antlia as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. She was fairly quiet until they both sat down.

"You don't see many witches or wizards with tattoos here. I mean, it's not necessarily a muggle thing, but it's just not popular here. It is pretty common in France?" Narcissa asked quietly as she fixed her plate.

Antlia was caught off guard. "What?"

"Your tattoo on your neck. It's white ink, isn't it? I've always heard they look kind of like a brand or a birthmark."

She turned bright red and for a moment, not knowing what to say. If Narcissa had seen it when the porlock had moved her hair and started sniffing her birthmark, then that meant Kettleburn and the rest of the class had probably seen it as well. She felt uncomfortable knowing others had seen it, especially Kettleburn, but Narcissa seemed blissfully naive, thinking it was a white ink tattoo. She wasn't sure it was in her own best interest to correct her no matter how unaware she seemed to be.

"Yeah, but it's not common in witches in France either. I just wanted to get something to honor my mother, something I could see often and remind me of her. I thought a tattoo was a good idea for that," she lied smoothly, concentration on getting her own food.

"That's really sweet," Narcissa returned softly. With that, they found themselves on an entirely new conversation.

Severus and Regulus eventually joined them at the Slytherin table, followed shortly after by Bellatrix and the Carrow twins, all three looking agitated.

"It didn't even take a day for us to be back for Slughorn to start passing out those damn invitations," Bellatrix grumbled, stabbing a roll with a fork and shaking it off onto her plate.

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Still not invited to join, Bella?"

She just grumbled in response as Severus chuckled. "Clearly your side of the Black family name isn't impressive enough to earn you a ticket. Maybe if you had some sort of real talent you could make up for it, but you're not the most impressive individual, now are you?" He sneered at her.

Bellatrix looked ready to lunge across the table, but Amycus stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. She just glared and sat back in her seat, angrily pushing her food around.

"Antlia, I bet you have a shot at being offered a spot in the club," Narcissa said warmly as Alecto rolled her eyes.

"Club? What is it for?"

Bellatrix scoffed before Narcissa could answer. "Of course Slughorn will give her an invitation. Its Slughorn. He's obsessed with collecting pretty little magical creatures."

Antlia's blood ran cold. Did Bellatrix already have it figured out? She hadn't been in her Care of Magical creatures class. There was no other way she could have seen her birthmark; she always made sure to have her hair covering her neck. Had someone else from the class already figured it out and begun telling people?

"Bella," Narcissa sighed. "She's not a veela. We've been over this."

Antlia visibly relaxed as Bellatrix stuck her nose up in the air. "Doubtful. She's already wrapped you lot around her finger with her disgusting little enchantments."

Severus groaned. "Merlin, could you be more jealous of her?"

She couldn't help but to laugh as she watched Bellatrix's face twist up with disgust. "No one has even explained what this club is," Antlia laughed quietly.

Regulus smiled as he picked up a biscuit. "It's called the Slug Club. Basically it's a group full of students that Slughorn finds interesting or thinks will go on to do big, important things and be well known. Or he asks you to join if you have a prominent family name. Basically he throws all these social events and parties for the members of the club. Its highly exclusive; it's all just a show of talent and status."

"It's all just a club of favoritism," Alecto scowled.

"Oh definitely. And it's awful having the head of your own house overlook you, isn't it?" Severus mocked her, clearly enjoying himself.

Amycus glared at him. "Knock it off."

Regulus and Severus both exchanged triumphant smiles as Narcissa rolled her eyes.

After lunch, Narcissa took her to Lily Evans who also apparently had History of Magic as her next class.

"Antlia, right?" Lily smiled at her as they began walking to their class.

She gave a small nod. "Thank you for taking me to find the classroom."

The red-haired girl gave her a larger smile. "Oh, it's no problem at all. Professor Binns doesn't get many students in his higher-level classes. I'm glad to have the company for class!"

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well," Lily started to laugh. "His lessons aren't the most interesting. Only slightly neat thing about him or his class is he's a ghost. Apparently, he died during a nap in the break room one day and didn't realize he left his body behind when he got up to go teach."

Antlia blinked in surprise. "I don't think I'd still be teaching if I died and came back as a ghost."

"Me neither," Lily chuckled. "He either really loves teaching or doesn't realize he's a ghost."

She just smiled as they walked into the class. Sure enough, the ghostly form of Professor Binns floated through the chalkboard and began a drab lecture on a troll war. There were only four other students in the room-three of which who had already fallen asleep-but he seemed unaware of any of them. He just read over his notes in a very monotone voice and Antlia quickly found herself wishing to be back in Herbology over his class.

Lily was one of the only students still completely awake by the time Professor Binns ended his class. Antlia had nodded off during the lecture and was sleeping soundly.

It was an especially cold winter night in Perouges, France. Young Antlia scurried into her mother's room, quickly crawling into bed with her and snuggling up next to her under the covers. Darcy immediately stirred awake, wrapping her arms tightly around her child.

"What are you doing, my little flower? She yawned, her eyes still shut.

"I couldn't sleep, Mommy," she whined, nestling close to her. "Will you tell me a story?"

Darcy slowly blinked before kissing her forehead. "Alright, but after tonight, you've got to start sleeping in your bed like a big girl, okay?"

Antlia nodded vigorously. "Yes, Mommy! I promise!"

She couldn't help but to smile down at her daughter in her arms. "What story?"

The child though for a moment. "Tell me about Deseyera and Lazio. And about the first BellaSera."

"But you know that story as well as I do, doll!" Darcy laughed softly.

"Its my favorite. Please, Mommy," Antlia whined.

"Alright," she smiled and took in a deep breath, ready to begin her story. "Not too long ago, there were two creatures who controlled the balance of the universe. Their names were Deseyera and Lazio. These two creatures were immortal with an unlimited amount of magic, but they always fought each other. Both Deseyera and Lazio watched all the creatures of the different worlds, but Deseyera favored the creatures who leaned more towards destruction and creating havoc, while Lazio favored those who sought to help their fellow creatures and keep the peace. Their efforts to outdo one another though, kept the balance between chaos, peace, good, and evil. Every time Lazio or Deseyera did an act to help the creatures they favored, they threw a rock into the waters that surrounded their island to keep records of the act and the creatures they had aided to determine who was currently influencing other worlds the most.

"Lazio grew particularly obsessed with a world named Armonia. This world was small compared to the others, and lived in a galaxy completely void of other planets with life, but it was full of magic. Every magical creature imaginable could be found at one place or another in Armonia, and even their human inhabitants possessed a small amount of magic. What magic they had though, they used only for the good of their world-using it only to heal one another, to help crops flourish, and to calm abnormal weather. Lazio loved Armonia and dedicated much of his own magic to helping the world stay safe from his counterpart, Deseyera.

"After one of Deseryera's acts in Armonia, a deadly disease was contracted in some of the crops, but with Lazio's help, the Armonians contained and stopped the disease quickly, Leaving only a small number of the population affected. One of the few affected, however, turned out to be Lazio's favorite Armonian, a young woman named Aletta.

"This particular Armonian, Aletta, was a model creature in Lazio's eyes. She gave herself entirely to helping her fellow Armonians, becoming a well known healer. Lazio had first taken an interest in her when she lost her husband, just a month or two before Deseyera's disease spread and he had attempted to bring her good fortune ever since. She had managed to contract the fatal disease though and Lazio was heart broken by the thought. To make the situation even worse though, Aletta was found to be a few months along with a child, and it was looking as if neither she, nor the unborn child were going to live to see the baby's due date. Other healers desperately tried to help Aletta and her child, but it quickly became clear that no magic of Armonia alone was strong enough to so much as even slow down the disease. So Lazio did an act that neither he nor Deseyera had done before-he went to Armonia in person to find a way to cure his beloved Aletta.

"Lazio searched for anything he could use as a cure, but his options were limited. The Armonian healers had already tried to heal Aletta with any and every plant or natural resource they knew of with magical properties. Lazio couldn't find anything that they might have overlooked and was beginning to feel hopeless. Just as he was about to give up, Lazio came up with an idea. Armonian magic was rooted not in the inhabitants, but in the world itself, meaning all of Armonia's nature, including things as simple as the grass and flowers, possessed their own supply of magic. So Lazio came up with an unusual idea to help his Aletta.

"Lazio took a single, red rose to Aletta. In a secret way, that no one but Lazio and Aletta knew of, Lazio transferred this life and magic of the rose, combined with a little bit of his own magic, to Aletta and the child, healing them both instantly of Deseyera's disease. Aletta returned perfectly to normal but Deseyera was furious, feeling as if Lazio had cheated her. Lazio knew of her resentment towards him that was growing, so he decided to stay in Armonia with Aletta, completely forsaking his battle with Deseyera that had kept the balance of all the worlds and galaxies.

"Luckily, Deseyera was too consumed with the idea of punishing Lazio, so she focused her attention solely on him and Aletta, just waiting and planning for the right act to make at the perfect moment. That moment though, came too soon for Lazio and Aletta.

"Just a few days before Aletta's child was expected to be born, Deseyera appeared to Lazio and Aletta. In one hand, she held a rose, and in the other hand, a stone from her own world. With the stone, she put a horrible curse on Aletta, attempting to make the stone a poison to her and her future generations that would come through her unborn child, but Lazio interfered. He turned the stone into a diamond-a strong, beautiful rock-in order to try to stop and reverse the curse, but he hadn't acted soon enough. The diamond just became the deadly element of the curse. But Deseyera still wasn't satisfied. She wanted to really punish Lazio, to keep him from ever cheating her of her power again, so she made a second curse, this time with the rose. Deseyera declared that since a rose had lost its life and its magic to benefit Aletta, Aletta would have to lose her first born daughter, but the daughter wouldn't die so that the rose's magic and life wouldn't be wasted. Instead, Aletta wasn't allowed to raise her own daughter. She would have a year to find her a home and guardians to keep her safe, but then Aletta had to leave to go to a new world and make her home without her daughter.

"In attempt to keep Lazio on equal ground with her in the future, Deseyera bound the curse to the rose so that any creature that used a rose in such a manner as he had done with Aletta, they would receive the curse as well. Deseyera then took Lazio back with her to their own home.

"Soon enough the child was born. It was a beautiful evening in the middle of spring when her daughter came into the world, and the child seemed just as gorgeous as the night around her, but Aletta and her fellow Armonians noticed peculiar things. The child was covered in silver, glittering marks that wrapped around her body like vines. On the right side of the child's neck was a birthmark of the head of a rose. The Armonians were all worried as to how the birthmark and silvery marks were going to affect the child, making most of the Armonians unwilling to raise the child when Aletta had to leave. On top of everything, the child stayed ill. No one thought Aletta's daughter would make it through the week and Aletta was terrified. Something inside of her was pushing her to use a rose on her daughter, but she was fearful of giving the baby Deseyera's curse as well.

"A group of Armonian doctors and healers came and studied the baby in effort to help. One of the doctors came up with a strange idea. Since the child gained its life from the magic of a rose, he fed the baby crushed roses in its formula. The baby wasn't fully healed, but gained strength almost immediately. The doctors and healers all stayed for a few days, monitoring the child and realized something: Aletta's child couldn't be considered a fellow Armonian. She relied on roses for her survival, and it became obvious that the child would have to use a rose as Lazio had if it were to live.

"One member of the group agreed to take the child when Aletta left. She named the baby girl Rosabella after her strange reliance on roses and studied her as she grew. Besides the child's strange markings, Rosabella could pass, in looks, as being a normal Armonian girl. Her magic though, was extraordinary, being more powerful that anything Armonia had ever witnessed. Anything Rosabella wished, her magic made her capable of doing, but none of the original group of doctors and healers trusted her power. They called her a Beautiful Evening like the night on which she was born, for she held great power but they feared the possible darkness of her power. In Armonian tongue, they named this new creature-"

Little Antlia stirred a little, close to sleep and her voice barely audible as she interrupted her mother. "The BellaSera."


	7. Kiss Ass

Lily couldn't help but to chuckle as she gently woke Antlia from her lecture-induced slumber. "I'll let you copy my notes sometime; I know its difficult to make it through Professor Binn's lectures. If you'll help me study, I'll keep you up to date on the notes."

"Deal," Antlia yawned, standing up and stretching. It felt weird to dream about her childhood self and how excited she used to be over her birthmark and the heritage that came with it. Now she just felt threatened by it. It meant that she always had to lie and hide who she was, and now that she had lost her mother, she hated the mark even more. If she and her mother had been normal witches, her mother would have never gotten the illness that slowly drained her and faded away her magic, which ultimately left her defenseless against the muggles who attacked her.

Lily laughed softly, blissfully unaware of the weight Antlia was left with after her dream. "Do you need any help finding the potions classroom?"

The blonde-haired girl shook her head. "Narcissa told me it's down in the dungeons. I'm sure I can find it."

She smiled and hugged her things into her chest. "Alright, good luck!" she said warmly before heading off towards her own next class.

Antlia let out a sigh before walking down towards the dungeons. She was quickly learning her way around the castle, only really still struggling with the moving stairs. Every time she came across them, they disoriented her. Now that she was figuring them out by herself, she ended up taking the wrong connection. By the time she figured it out and was off in the right direction, she was already running a few minutes late. Professor Slughorn had already started his lesson by the time she found her way into the classroom.

He paused his instructions to the class the moment she walked in. All eyes were on her as she made her way over to the empty seat by Narcissa. "Ah, you must be Miss Antlia Dubios!" He said cheerfully as she sat down. "I was beginning to think our transfer student had decided to skip out on my first class for the year!"

Antlia's face turned bright red. "Oh, no sir. I just got a little turned around on the stairs."

"Well, glad to have you dear. As I was explaining to the class, I've been doing the same first day assignment for years, and I'm not about to change that now." He picked up his wand, flicked it at the board, and continued talking as a piece of chalk wrote out Draught of Living Death ~ Page 327. "Whoever can brew the best potion will earn this vial of my favorite little potion here."

The class stared curiously at vial full of what looked to be liquid gold that Professor Slughorn pulled out of his cloak. He grinned as a look of recognition spread across a few students faces.

"One small vial of Felix Felicis, otherwise known as liquid luck," he announced before setting it in a stand on his desk. "Alright, you can find the instructions in your textbooks starting on page 327. You have the entire class to finish the potion. You may begin!"

At his words, the entire class leaped into action. Antlia found the section in the textbook and immediately scowled. The directions listed were not the ones her mother had taught her. With a sigh, she shut her book, gathered her ingredients, and began her work from memory. The rest of the class struggled to perfectly follow the instructions, and it wasn't long before Slughorn noticed what Antlia was doing.

"Miss Dubios, have you made this potion before?" He asked as she looked into her cauldron.

She gave a small nod. "My mother was a healer in France. When shed treat muggles, she'd give them the Draught of Living Death instead of anesthesia or using her magic to numb them. She taught me how to make it so I could start preparing it while she attended to other patients or started the Wiggenweld potion."

Slughorn's face lit up with delight. "Sounds like you've got a bit of an advantage. You might just end up with the vial, my dear."

Antlia gave him a sheepish smile before he walked off, humming to himself. Sure enough, as soon as the class ended, her potion was deemed the most successful and she was handed the vial of Felix Felicis.

"Dear, may I speak with you?" Slughorn called after Antlia as the class started to file out.

She turned to him quickly after promising to meet Narcissa down in the common room. "Yes, Professor?"

Slughorn gave her a cheery smile. "I'm holding a dinner tonight with a few of your classmates, and well, quite frankly, I'd like to see you among their number."

"Is this the Slug Club?" She asked quietly. She felt rude but she didn't know how else to phrase it.

He chuckled to himself as he leaned his back against a desk. "That's what most students have taken to calling our meetings. It's just a dinner I host for students like you who are bright minded, exceptionally interesting, or just have a lot of potential for greatness. It's not required that you attend for your grade, but it will help you build a network of exceptional witches and wizards. Maybe even help you gain a few friends?" He took a moment, pausing to gauge her reaction. "Besides that, I'd love to hear more about you and your mother's healing work in France. I haven't met many witches your age with so much experience in such a difficult field."

Kiss ass. Antlia thought to herself, tucking her textbook under her arm. The dinner honestly sounded rather pointless when she already had homework to work on that would be taking most of her free time away from researching the movement, but she didn't think homework alone would be a good enough excuse to get Slughorn not to pester her about attending. "When is it?"

Slughorn beamed down at her. "It's during dinner hours and we meet in my office. I'm sure everyone will be delighted you're attending! Now run along, dear. Don't make Miss Black wait too long for you!"

Antlia immediately took the opportunity to leave the moment it was presented to her, rushing to the Slytherin common room. There, Lucius laid sprawled out on a couch, his head resting in Narcissa's lap. Regulus was engaged in a deep conversation with Severus, Corban, and a dark haired, stern looking teen Antlia had yet to meet. She started to head off to her room to drop off her things, but she made brief eye contact with Severus who promptly motioned her over.

"Antlia," Severus said as he made room for her in their circle, the other two boys hushing immediately. "This is Rodolphus Lestrange. He's engaged to Bellatrix."

She gave him a warm smile but he looked severely unimpressed with her. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said kindly, only to be met by silence.

"So, Narcissa tells me that you managed to get the Felix Felicis and Slughorn held you after class. I guess that means you were invited to the Slug Club tonight?" Regulus questioned her.

She nodded, noticing Narcissa perk up a little as she started to blatantly tune into their conversation. "He invited me, but it hardly felt like it was my choice to attend."

He gave a hearty laugh. "That's Slughorn for you."

Lucius sat up from Narcissa's lap. "You three should probably get ready then. I don't want to be late," he said firmly before walking off to his dorm.

"You three?" Antlia asked, clearly a little confused. "Lucius is part of the club?"

Regulus nodded as Severus and Rodolphus both headed down the hall as well. "Along with Severus and I, so we should probably get ready as well."

She nodded but by the time Regulus had already disappeared to his room, she realized she didn't know the dress code. As if able to read her mind, Narcissa glided over and took her arm with a smile.

"Come on, I'll help you get ready," she grinned as she began pulling her off towards the dorms.

Both girls went into Antlia's room where Narcissa immediately began searching through her things for an appropriate outfit. Not much was said for a moment as the French girl began putting on light makeup, sitting down on the floor.

"So how are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?" Narcissa asked absentmindedly. It felt more like a formality than genuine interest with her being distracted by her search.

"It's been pleasant so far."

"Anyone catch your eye yet?"

Antlia blinked, caught by surprise. "Pardon me?"

"You know," Narcissa laughed, turning around to face her with a simple olive dress in her hands. "Fancy anyone here?"

She blushed bright red. "Haven't really put a lot of thought into it. Already been pretty busy, you know."

Her friend sat the dress down on the bed, still wearing an excited grin. "Really? Because I've seen the way you look at Regulus."

Antlia's blush started spreading immediately and growing deeper. "No, I don't have a thing for him-"

"You do!" She exclaimed excitedly. "You fancy my cousin! You completely do!"

"That's not it! Y-you couldn't be more wrong!" Antlia stammered, her chest feeling tight. Why did Narcissa have to be so pushy? It was completely true that she tended to gravitate towards Regulus whenever he was in the room, but she didn't want to date the boy. Of course Narcissa had noticed and misinterpreted her interest in him. Things could never be easy for her. It was only her second day being there; she wasn't sure she was ready to tell anyone that secret just yet. But then again, she did need to gain the trust of Narcissa and her friends if she wanted to be involved in the movement. This could very well be her next step if she would just allow herself to share the information.

"Then why are you interest in him? Hmm?" Narcissa grinned, clearly not believing her.

She took in a deep breath. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Almost immediately she was on her knees, on the floor, just in front of Antlia. "I swear I won't. We're friends now. Us Slytherin girls have to stick together."

She couldn't help but to smile at the mention of Narcissa calling her a friend, hoping she meant it. "Regulus and Sirius are my half-brothers."

Narcissa's bright smile faded away into shock. "You're Lord Black's daughter?" She asked immediately answered by a nod from Antlia. "Does he know you're here?"

"No, not yet. I didn't know if Regulus or Sirius knew about me and my mother, so I was just going to play it safe until I found out."

She just stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "Lord Black's affair wasn't exactly a secret, and he most certainly wasn't afraid to talk about you and your mother-it's not like Walburga would have let him even if she had the option-but he was always vague. No one knew any specifics when we were growing up beyond the fact that he had a daughter and lover outside of London that he occasionally would visit. One day he completely stopped talking about you both and no one questioned it for Walburga's sake."

"I'm sorry," Antlia said quietly, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.

Narcissa shrugged. "It's not your fault he had an affair."

"Still. I don't want to bother Sirius and Regulus, I just wanted to at least meet them."

"And you definitely should tell them the truth sometime."

Antlia looked up and met her gaze. "What if they hate me?"

"They won't," she reassured her with a soft smile, finally starting to relax again. "They deserve to know their sister just as much as you deserved to know them."

She sighed as she nodded. "I'll tell them soon, I Just don't want Regulus to start looking at me differently. He's been so wonderful and friendly to me so far."

"If he does act different, just give him a day or two. He'll adjust, I promise."

Antlia gave her a weak smile. "Thank you, Narcissa. Thank you for helping me tonight and talking me through this."

Narcissa quickly wrapped her in a hug. "I'm glad you're here, Antlia. I'm sorry for the circumstances, but I'm really glad to have met my cousin."

"Me too," she returned softly.

Quickly, Narcissa stood up and tossed the dress down to Antlia. "Sappy time is over. You've got to hurry before Lucius and the other two leave without you."


End file.
